I have a love hate relationship with Mother’s Day. On one hand, I think it’s a beautiful time to honour my mother, my grandmothers, all of the mothers in my life, and all of the women who are mother figures. But when my son, Finley, died, the meaning of Mother’s Day, for me, changed forever.

Mother’s Day is hard. It can be ugly. It feels so unfair. And now that I am a bereaved mother with no living children, it feels like the day was invented solely to rub the death of my son in my face. I mean, Mother’s Day when your child has died is hard enough – but if your only child(ren) has died, it’s pretty normal to question your motherhood. Your identity becomes very conflicted; am I still a mother if I have no living children to take care of?

The answer is a resounding YES! Even in the early days of my grief, I knew “I Am Still a Mother“. I want my motherhood celebrated on Mother’s Day just like every other  mother. I deserve to have my motherhood celebrated.

And YOU, as a Still Mother, deserve to have your motherhood honoured and celebrated and remembered. Your child(ren) matter.

I hope that today you are able to remember your children with love in your heart and a smile on your face. But I also know that for a lot of Still Mothers, that is not yet possible. It is too raw, too hard. Whatever you choose to do today, whatever feels right for you, make sure that you are doing it for you. Celebrate if you want to, cry if you want to, hide under your blankets if you want to. Just know that my heart goes out to you, and that I am here, honouring you and remembering your child(ren).

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Lisa Sissons

Co-Creator and Web Designer at Still Mothers

Lisa Sissons is mother to Finley Arthur Sissons, who was born and died in Naples, Italy at 3 days old in 2012. Finley was diagnosed with a very severe case of Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, after enduring a lengthy period without oxygen during labour and after his birth.

After years of investigation, it was determined that Finley's death was caused by many counts of medical negligence by the military hospital where he was born. Lisa found it to be incredibly important to hold the hospital and medical staff responsible for their actions, and Lisa and her husband were offered a wrongful death settlement from the United States government for the death of their son. They hope that by holding the hospital legally accountable, that it will prevent other babies from dying in a similarly needless way.

Lisa is just a normal girl trying to help her son's memory live on by writing honestly and openly about life, love and loss. She is co-founder and web designer at Still Mothers, blogs at The Stars Apart (formerly Dear Finley) about all things life and babyloss, and has also written articles for Still Standing Magazine and Circle of Moms. Lisa lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with her husband Steve and their cheeky dog, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Jacob. She tries to find meaning in life by pursuing her many hobbies and interests, which include photography, crafting and web design.

Latest posts by Lisa Sissons (see all)

• The Birthday That I Want – Finley’s Birthday Post - March 23, 2016
• Talk to Us Tuesday - June 16, 2015
• Talk to us Tuesday - May 26, 2015